The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-07-02
BAD LUCK CAME.

| serious than when relating his expe- rience with those mysterious agencies which beset his pathway; the fond ness with which he hugs his supersti- 1 tions leads him into an enthusiastic l disregard of the merest semblance of truth. Andrew Pointer, an old negro who preached before the war, but who abandoned the pulpit when the polyg- amous freedom of the slave received the attention of the law, was asked recently if he really believed in the "tricks" and "spels" under which many colored people still claim that they are placed.
 Wall. sah," said he, "I doan b'lebe much in dem sorter things, 'caze l thinks da's mixed up wid CT good deal O ignunce, but Pll tell yer whut's CT skanluss fack, dar's CT good many things in dis heah atmosphere dat l kaint ercount fur. Oar is sah, widout question:, signs dat tells CT pusson O comin' trouble, but 'gardin' de fack O de power dat puts 'em i'll motion, wy, dat ain't fur me ter begin ter say" "You have had experience in that l line, have you?"
 Wall, I think I has, sah, an dar wuz one ercasion dat ain't gwine ter furgit so mighty soon, nuther. l wuz 1 libin' down we're on de Dwyer place, erbout ten years ago, an' suthin' hap pened ter me down dar dat made me open my eyes monstrous. l mentions de fack dat it wuz erbout ten years ergo ter show yer dat it didn' happen wen I wuz CT 'stitious slave, but down at CT time wen I wuz putty nigh cz we'll edycated ez l is now. l had been ober ter Unk Nose Parker's one night, an wuz comin' on home putty late, when l seed suthin' shiny layiR in de road. walked up clost ter it, l did, an dar laid de finest gold watch an chain l eber seed in my life. l snatched it mp mighty quick, an says, 'Oh, de Lawd ain't furgittin' His own folks ez yer go 'long' De moon shined so dat it wuz almos' ez bright ez day, an I hil' de watch in my han while l cut some mighty fine capers wid my feet. Putty soon-now lissun, fur it's jest like I tells yer-putty soon de watch 'gunter git warm, an de fust thing 1 knowed it had dun got so hot l couldn' hold it, but had ter drap it on de groun', an den, fore de Lawd, de blame thing tuck arter me, dc watch goin' fust an de chain wigglin' erlong like CT snake. hollered, l did. I couldn' hep it, fur I wuz skeercd putty nigh ter death, fur it wuz new ter me ter see CT watch an chain chasin' CT pusson in CT recklesome way like dat. Wen had dun run erbout CT ha1 CT mile, looked 'roun', an dar come de watch an chain. seed dat want gwine ter do, an de idee struck me dat better climb CT tree, an bout dat time I come ter CT tree, an up went. I clim mighty nigh ter de top, an den looked down, an dar come de watch an chain. CT jumpin' rum one limb ter ernuder. .Mussyful heabcnsv thinks I, dis ain't gwine ter do. Look out! doan yer come up heah {. Doan yer do it, tells yerv but dar come de watch an chain. By dis time I wuz awful skeered, fur jes' knowed dat ef dat watch got up ter war wuz it gwine ter burn CT hole through me, sho'. Oar want but one thing ter do, ar done it. I jes' turned loose all holts an trapped down outen dat tree, an 'fo' de Lawd, ez l went down through de limbs I thought never gwine ter hit de face O de yeth. But did arter while, an wen I looked up dar come de watch an chain. jumped up an tuck ter my heels ag'in, through de briars an ober de logs, but at ebery jump I could heah dat watch an chain rattlin' jest behind me. Wall, sah, jes' run till I nachully trapped, an I didn' know nothini mo till erbout sunrise. Den I got up, thinkin' dat de whole thing wuz CT dream, an went home"
 "Well, but what did all that amount to, Andy?"
 "It wuz CT warnin', sah."
 "A warning of what?"
 "Er warnin' dat wen l seed dat watch in de road I oughter walked straddle O it widout techin' it am den tuck de neardest shoot fur home"
 Ibid bad luck follow?7
 "Wall, yas, sah, 'peared like it did. De next day some white men come ter my house, an says one, Andy, MT. Baxter has lost his watch. Hab yer seed anything Q it?'
 "'How I gwineter see it?' says l.
 "'Wall, says he, 'Mr. Baxter claims dat somebody tuck it offen his man. l-piece at his sto', de udder day, an' ez we'se roun' s'archin' everybody, reckon we mout ez well s'arch you,' am, sah, de fnst thing I knowed da